We have to go back a bit find the pagan legend and myth associated with Santa. One of the first places to start is with the Germanic people and
the Norse God Odin. The 13th Century Poetic Edda is a complication of stories and poems from Scandinavian history, some as early 985AD. In this work
and from Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda we learn about Odin riding an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir, that can leap great distances. At Yule, Odin
leads a great hunting party through the sky in celebration. This story gives rise to comparisons of Santa and his 8 reindeer flying through the sky.

There's more but I don't want to post all that text.

The Dutch pretty much only adopted the name.

Santa gets his name from Dutch legend in the form of Sinter Klaas or "Sinterklaas". Historical documents suggest that Sinter was brought by
settlers to New York in the 17th century. As early as 1773 the name appeared in the American press as "St. A Claus," but it was the popular author
Washington Irving who gave Americans their first detailed information about the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas. In his History of New York, published
in 1809 under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the arrival of the saint on horseback (unaccompanied by Black Peter) each Eve of
Saint Nicholas.

We have to go back a bit find the pagan legend and myth associated with Santa. One of the first places to start is with the Germanic people and
the Norse God Odin. The 13th Century Poetic Edda is a complication of stories and poems from Scandinavian history, some as early 985AD. In this work
and from Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda we learn about Odin riding an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir, that can leap great distances. At Yule, Odin
leads a great hunting party through the sky in celebration. This story gives rise to comparisons of Santa and his 8 reindeer flying through the sky.

There's more but I don't want to post all that text.

The Dutch pretty much only adopted the name.

Santa gets his name from Dutch legend in the form of Sinter Klaas or "Sinterklaas". Historical documents suggest that Sinter was brought by
settlers to New York in the 17th century. As early as 1773 the name appeared in the American press as "St. A Claus," but it was the popular author
Washington Irving who gave Americans their first detailed information about the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas. In his History of New York, published
in 1809 under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the arrival of the saint on horseback (unaccompanied by Black Peter) each Eve of
Saint Nicholas.

It would be very hard to pinpoint who came up with the original Santa, or the Santa predecessor.

PPG place in Pittsburgh has life sized displays from santas all around the world that come as women, actual elves, some are mean, some are nice, not
human at all, all sorts of sizes.

In a nutshell, every culture has one.

But you solidified what I said that the Europeans brought st. nick who was turned into Santa. Or satan if you are the poster. sigh

True, Santa and Christmas are really amalgamation of many different cultures and traditions, but most of the concepts for Santa come from pagan
worship. The reason I stress this is because the OP is making an analogy towards Satan. Going along this line of thinking, it is another Christian
demonizing a pagan god or demi-human, which has happened to just about EVERY pagan god or demi-human.

His name was Saint Nicholas ...not trying to be rude but you could search the internet and find out who he was.
Here's one link www.biography.com...
He was a man who gave to the needy and it flourished from there.

At first I thought it was wrong to tell my kid that Santa was coming but it's fun for him. I told him last year at age 7 that Santa was pretend and
told him about the real man.
Eta--also as a kid I had a blast with thinking that Santa was coming. And when I found out that he wasn't real, Christmas was still the same...I
celebrate Jesus' birth.
And pretending is fun...being young at heart is more fun than being 'grown up'

edit on 5-12-2013 by natalia because: Added eta

Why is the famale term of Saint used? Santo is male Santa Female

santo(a) (sustantivo masculino o femenino)

I think anything that encourages a person to lie to their kids is not a good thing.

Actually I answered that question in this post a few posts above yours.
Read the second bit of quoted text for the answer. (Basically it boils down to Americans not bothering to learn the proper pronunciation, surprise
surprise...)

True, Santa and Christmas are really amalgamation of many different cultures and traditions, but most of the concepts for Santa come from pagan
worship. The reason I stress this is because the OP is making an analogy towards Satan. Going along this line of thinking, it is another Christian
demonizing a pagan god or demi-human, which has happened to just about EVERY pagan god or demi-human.

Actually I answered that question in this post a few posts above yours.
Read the second bit of quoted text for the answer. (Basically it boils down to Americans not bothering to learn the proper pronunciation, surprise
surprise...)

That is not an American problem, lol.

It is a natural evolution of linguistics that words and meanings can change over time. When was the last time that you have heard someone say
snowbroth?

Once upon a time, there were gales of laughter when Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em pronounced harass with the emphasis on the second
syllable.

Now, according to the British Library, evidence suggests that for people under the age of 35, it is becoming the favoured pronunciation.

I looked it up a few years ago. I remember Santa being associated with a demon called Sinterclaus. Not sure if that's spelt right, but this demon
would kidnap children. In certain mythologies, elves are also thought to be demons or evil spirits. Santa sneaks down the chimney. Chimney=fire. Fire
=devil right?

Saint nick is another name for the devil. The meaning of the mistle toe has pagan origins. Santa has his home in the cold north. In
movies, many times you will see the villain descending from a desolate cold region. The Ho Ho Ho phrase came from the devil. hmm what else..Santa is
bad ass! here is a link that shows him to be the great imposter, dethroning Jesus, if your interested. www.biblebelievers.com...

This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.